Information processing systems comprising virtual data centers (VDCs) and other types of virtual infrastructure are coming into increasingly widespread use. For example, commercially available virtualization software such as VMware® vSphere™ may be used to build a variety of different types of virtual infrastructure, including private and public cloud computing and storage systems, distributed across hundreds of interconnected physical computers and storage devices. As the complexity of such cloud-based systems increases, the need for accurate and efficient management of the corresponding shared resources has also grown. It should be noted that virtual infrastructure in combination with its associated physical infrastructure may be viewed as an example of what is more generally referred to herein as “IT infrastructure.”
Achieving service level objectives (SLOs) within a VDC or other type of system comprising virtual infrastructure can be particularly challenging since the virtualized environment is inherently both complex and opaque. Conventional approaches to managing such complex multi-layered systems have required labor-intensive monitoring at multiple levels. However, it is often very difficult for human administrators using traditional management tools to monitor status at multiple levels, to react to dynamic workload changes, and to achieve fairness in use of the shared resources while also achieving SLOs.
The conventional approaches therefore fail to provide an efficient mechanism for translating between application needs and corresponding actions that should be taken within infrastructure elements such as storage platforms and host software. As a result, in conventional practice there is often a significant disconnect between application context and those actions that if carried out in particular infrastructure elements would best facilitate achievement of the designated SLOs.
Accordingly, a need exists for an improved approach to performance management in an information processing system.